There’s something exciting happening right now in the DMV. Area natives are slowly moving into the limelight across various disciplines, and together they are putting the DC Metro area on the map for more than just politics. From acting and music, to philanthropy and fashion, the Nation’s Capital is carving out a reputation as a hub of talent and forward-thinking ideas – especially when it comes to art.

Loving to be in the thick of things as much as my unreasonably tight schedule will allow, I attended Immortal Style: An Exhibition on Fashion Photography. The event was one of many in a series of events for DC’s FotoWeek. It was hosted by Karen Sommer Shalett, Editor in Chief of DC Magazine and Lavanya Ramanathan, Washington Post staff writer. The exhibit featured work from local photographers such as Jodi King, Tim Coburn, Violetta Markelou, Gabriel Scindian, Adrian Loving, and Malek Naz Freidouni.

The opening was held this past Sunday, and it was nice. And essentially, that was the problem with the exhibit. It was just nice, not great, fantastic nor awe inspiring. I wanted to love it, I really did. But I just liked it.  The prints were great quality but no concept was particularly unique to the point of producing goose bumps, but everything was decent enough to solicit a nod.  A powerful photo silently demands attention and unfortunately the photos in the exhibit only received small snippets here and there. 

 I did love some components of the night. The location, Immortal Beloved, an avant-garde modernist salon, was spot on as far as cool not-so-well-known locations are concerned. The live model transformations by makeup and styling team, Annabelle Sullivan (MAC Cosmetics) and Tyler Larish (Immortal Beloved Salon), were superbly done and a nice diversion.

The crowd was a perfect reflection of the unique mix of individuals found in the DMV and proved to be entertainment in itself. But my swooning over exposed brick, obsession with cosmetics, and love of people watching didn’t make up for the fact that the photos were probably the least interesting thing at the exhibition. Immortal Style was an excellent idea but really, a great idea combined with subpar execution will only produce “nice” results.

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